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Chargers Official Site | Los Angeles Chargers - chargers.com

Thursday, Oct 10, 2019 05:00 PM

Steelers Focused on Philip Rivers, Chargers' Offensive Versatility

by
Joshua Fischman
&
Ben Friedl

On Philip Rivers...

"(I'm) excited about competing against those guys. It's always a really challenging thing when you're competing against the likes of Philip Rivers and what he brings. Not only in terms of his talents, but his football intellect and the amount of latitude he's given at the line of scrimmage. We acknowledge that we're playing him in his home environment, and recently we played him here in Pittsburgh, so he'll probably have an added opportunity to infuse his intellect and know-how on the game at the line of scrimmage via communication and so forth. We better have a good package and plan…I know last year when we played him, we were without a number of sub-package defenders, and as the game wore on, he really exploited that. It's really good to go in (with) a full complement of sub-package defenders and guys that are capable of matching up against his many weapons." - Head Coach Mike Tomlin

On the Chargers' offensive weapons...

"(Keenan) Allen and (Mike) Williams are really outstanding outside. Travis Benjamin is a 'take the top off the covers' type guy, (and) we know him from his time in the AFC North when he was with Cleveland. They have quality tight ends who are capable of getting after you as well. Their running back group is well-stocked now that Melvin Gordon is back. Boy, they have a real awesome group at their disposal with a variety of talent." - Head Coach Mike Tomlin

On the Chargers' defense...

"They're really fundamental, they get after you (and) they play fast. I think if you're talking about their defense, it starts with (Joey) Bosa and (Melvin) Ingram, their quality first-round edge rushers. Those guys provide the wave that others ride in terms of putting consistent pressure on the quarterback. We better stay on schedule. (If) you get behind the chains with a young quarterback against this group, you're going to have a problem. They are very multiple on the back end, especially on possession downs. They use a variety of personnel groups, and that allows them to match up in unique ways and present a lot of things to the quarterback." - Head Coach Mike Tomlin

On playing the Chargers...

"It's gonna be a veteran football team that wants to play hard. They're in kinda the same position we are, and they've gotta get a win, so we better get ready to play football." - Center Maurkice Pouncey

"They're a well-coached team, and they're hungry to get a win also." - Quarterback Devlin Hodges

On the Steelers' 33-30 loss to the Chargers last season...

"I thought (Philip Rivers' playmaking) was significant as the game unfolded last year. I thought he was able to get them into some plays down the stretch that really caused some problems for us, (and) it allowed them to take control of the game." - Head Coach Mike Tomlin

On Desmond King as a punt/kick returner...

"(Desmond King) is a big-time player in that area, (and) he needs no endorsement from me. He got us last year, and (he) ran one back last week. There's no secret in terms of his capabilities." - Head Coach Mike Tomlin

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